digital arts experience

February 11, 2017

North Salem Students 3D Print Local Landmarks

North Salem Students 3D Print Local Landmarks


Over the past six weeks, The Digital Arts Experience (The DAE) has been teaching 3D Printing to students ages 10-12 at the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem, NY. The class used their new knowledge of 3D printing to create miniature replications of local historical buildings.

“This class puts a unique spin on our normal 3D Printing with Minecraft class. Working with the town of North Salem, we secured blueprints and drawings of a number of historical buildings in town, and the students were challenged to use Minecraft to create 3D models based on the drawings,” says Rob Kissner, President of The DAE.

Buildings modeled thus far include Delancy Hall, Croton Fall School House and Briddleside in addition to others. After receiving the blueprints, students went to work in Minecraft’s Creative Mode to map and build out each structure. Minecraft makes for an excellent modeling tool because every block is the same size, making it simple to build to scale. It’s a natural fit with kids because they don’t need to learn an abstract CAD program, but rather can use a program they are comfortable and confident with. DAE instructors love using Minecraft in a class setting because it’s accessible; building in Creative Mode is all about exploring, planning, creating and collaborating.

“I was amazed at how intricate their projects were. They all took their time to pay attention to each detail to ensure their models were accurate,” said Lory Murariu, an instructor from The Digital Arts Experience. “This project really challenged the students to think critically about the blueprints they were given and how to convert them into 3D models for print.”

Last week, The DAE took models that the students designed in Minecraft and 3D Printed them at the Makerspace inside their White Plains facility. With five 3D Printers, The DAE has created thousands of hours of student work.

The DAE hosts after school, weekend and summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) programs for kids and teens ages six and up. They hold classes at their White Plains location and also send instructors throughout Westchester to teach programs at various locations. To learn more about what The DAE can teach at your school or organization, visit: https://www.thedae.com/schools.

northsalem1

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Contact:

Cristina Calabrese

Cristina@TheDAE.com

The Digital Arts Experience

170 Hamilton Avenue Suite 100

White Plains, NY 10601

(914) 644-8100

September 21, 2016

DSLR Photography Classes for Adults in Westchester, Scarsdale & White Plains. Learn Aperture, ISO & Shutter Speed. Finally take that digital camera off auto!

Adults can now enroll in Digital Photography classes at the Digital Arts Experience in Westchester and surrounding communities: Scarsdale, Valhalla, Rye, Larchmont, White Plains, Tarrytown and others. In our class, students learn the three core components of a DSLR camera that will have them taking incredible photos: aperture, ISO & shutter speed.

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Our classes go over the information you need in a fun, stress-free setting and we don’t bog you down with jargon.

Enroll now: TheDAE.com/adultclasses

August 13, 2015

2015 Midsummer Highlights at The DAE

Midsummer Recap

Before we relive the highlights of the first part of the summer, there’s still plenty of time to end your summer at the Digital Arts Experience. Summer Session 4 runs from August 17th to the 28th, and we end our summer camps with Summer Session 5 from August 31st to September 4th. If you can’t make it for the summer, don’t worry because Fall Registration is currently live and the The DAExpress is taking bookings for Minecraft birthday parties.

Class in MakerspaceOur summer kicked off with a record high number of registrations for Summer Session 1 compared to previous years. We greatly enjoyed the packed facility and buzzing energy that brought along. On the last day of the first session, the DAE hosted a celebration for our 3 year anniversary!

DAE 3 Year PartyIn addition to enjoying good food and company, attendants heard the DAE announce two new ventures: DAELearning and DAE Makerclub. DAElearning will be an online subscription based site that provides members with interesting, educational videos on Programming Languages, 3D Printing, Mac Basics, and much more.Members of DAE Makerclub will have complete and unlimited access to our facility including labs, 3D printers, and more.

DAE Makerclub

Then Summer Session 2 came along and broke the record the previous session had just set. This high number was partially due the numerous kids who reenrolled in our classes. Our site was at max capacity with every single computer being used! Summer Session 3 started smoothly and is currently going on. Check out a student made short film below.

August 10, 2015

Late Summer Computer and STEM Camp in White Plains of Westchester at The Digital Arts Experience

Summer STEM Camps

We’ve got you covered! While other camps end before August does, The Digital Arts Experience’s computer and STEM summer camps in White Plains of Westchester County, NY, keep on going into the first week of September. Listen to President Rob Kissner talk about how you should end your kids’ summer.

With courses in 3D Printing, Animation, Graphic Design, and more STEM subjects to choose from, your child is sure to find a program that they are interested in! Allow your children to finish their summer at the most fun and educational summer camp in Westchester.

For more information visit our:

YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/digitalartexperience

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TheDAExperience

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheDAExperience

Website: http://www.TheDAE.com

Registration Page: https://campscui.active.com/orgs/TheDigitalArtsExperience

May 18, 2015

Open House and Student Showcase at The DAE in Westchester

By Lory Murariu, Intern at The Digital Arts Experience

This on Thursday, April 30th, we held an Open House at The Digital Arts Experience to showcase all the great projects our students have made during our Spring Break camps and after school programs. If you missed it, we will be having two more Open House Dates; May 28th and June 18th!

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In the past few months, students have made countless creative projects in so many different areas such as 3D Printing, Scratch coding, video editing, and much more. The Open House took place from 7pm at our site which is located in Westchester county. Parents and kids observed our 3D printing setup, Scratch workshops and asked questions about our summer sessions.

We are so excited to present our lineup for our new Summer STEM Camps that are starting July 6th. We are offering 5 different sessions where students can choose from a morning or afternoon session, or a class in both for a full day. When you sign up for a program during our Open House, you will receive 10% off of enrollment. 

Check out our Summer STEM Camp schedule here!

We are looking forward to sharing the variety of student work with parents, students and the community!

For more information please visit www.TheDAE.com or RSVP at info@thedae.com.

Summer 2015 STEM Camp Westchester

April 16, 2015

Scratch Day Competition at The DAE in Westchester NY

By Lory Murariu, Intern

The Digital Arts Experience is hosting a Scratch Day event on May 9th from 12:30 to 2pm!

Scratch Day

But what is this day all about? Scratch Day is a global event that is held on the same day, May 9th, but is hosted in many different communities around the world. Teachers, parents, and students gather at their nearest Scratch Day location to not just celebrate the release of Scratch, but all of the creative projects made.

Scratch is a free programming language where anyone can create their own artwork, games, and animations through the simplified basics of computer programming. The world of Scratch is a fun and entertaining way to educate youth about math and science while integrating art, and music.

We are hosting a Game-Off, where participants will be challenged to create their own original game built in Scratch within a time frame. Whoever programs the most creative and original game will take home a 3D printed prize. We are so excited and can’t wait to see what everyone will make!

For more information on Scratch Day 2015 click here.

For more details on our Scratch Day event click here.

Please visit www.TheDAE.com for our Summer STEM Camp schedule!

Jeff Soto, programming Instructor at The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, Westchester, NY.
April 7, 2015

New STEM and programming courses for kids in Westchester!

We, here at The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, Westchester NY, are proud and excited to announce two NEW programming and web development courses for kids that we are currently adding, and a few extra courses coming this year!

Text-Adventures with Java:

We will be teaching an advanced Java Course that will build off of and develop the skills learned in our Java 101 Course. Students will spend time learning how developers in the real-world face complex problems. They will learn how to think ambiguously, write pseudocode, and develop algorithms to solve the problems they will encounter as they progress through the course. Furthermore, their Final Project will be in the form of a text-adventure, in which, the students will create their own story-line. Our objective is to teach the Java language in depth, while facilitating a fun, creative, engaging, and hands-on experience that encourages curiosity, teamwork, and critical thinking. This course will be a prerequisite to one of our future courses coming this year; Web Applications with Java: Hard-Coding a 2D game.

Programming 101 using Ruby:

This course is specifically designed to teach the core concepts of programming. We have designed the curriculum with the goal of teaching our students to think like a programmer. Students will learn to embrace abstract thought and practice common coding conventions. Being able to code with convention and conciseness in mind, is key to creating beautiful reusable code, that can be distributed worldwide. The Ruby programming language is currently sky-rocketing within the software industry, with employers seeking candidates whom are not only educated in the language, but are able to think pragmatically. This course assumes no prior programming experience, but is equally useful for those on an intermediate level.

COMING SOON:

  • Intro to JavaScript
  • Intro to jQuery
  • HTML5 Canvas: Game Development for The Web
  • Web Applications with Ruby on Rails
  • Android App Development with Android Studio
  • iOS App Development with Swift
  • Java Applets: 2D Game Creation

Why Take These Courses?

To put it simply…. because you should become digitally literate. Programming is, in essence, applied Math and Science. It teaches us to think smarter, faster, and more efficiently. It’s no secret that software and computers are changing our society. With so many of our industries relying on Software Programs to automate their daily tasks, it’s becoming more and more evident that we need to educate not only ourselves, but our youth. The tech industry is booming. Job growth is estimated to increase between 20% and 30% for Computer related fields by the year 2020. Employers are seeking computer literate individuals more than ever before. To add to that, in 2013, a study conducted by the Census Bureau found that 83.8% of households reported computer ownership, and 73.4% reported internet use. With STEM technology rapidly evolving and embedding itself in our daily lives, it is imperative that we learn how computers communicate, and what goes into creating, reading, and writing software programs. Below is a small list of a few jobs in the software industry and their respected average salaries: (Keep in mind the estimated 30% job growth in this industry)

1) Java Developers

2) Ruby Developers

3) Web Developers

To sum it up, we urge you to come learn with us. Tell your friends and family, and spread the word. The Digital Arts Experience of White Plains in Westchester is committed to empowering today’s youth, as well as, any adult whom wants to learn or sharpen their digital skills! Contact us via email, phone, or website. Thank you for reading!

-Jeff, Software Instructor at The Digital Arts Experience

Jeff Soto, programming Instructor at The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, Westchester, NY.

Jeff Soto, programming Instructor at The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, Westchester, NY.

To learn more about the programming, web development (HTML5), coding and STEM classes that we are offering for kids and teens in Westchester County, visit our website at www.TheDAE.com.

To view our After School schedule, click here.

To view our Summer STEM Camps, click here.

March 27, 2015

Spring Break STEM Programs in Westchester County

The Digital Arts Experience

Starting next week, The Digital Arts Experience in White Plains, Westchester County NY will be running Spring Break STEM programs for kids and teens in 3D Printing, Animation, Coding, Design, Electronics and more!

Spring 2015 STEM Camp Westchester

Spring Recess Tech Camp 1 Sessions available from Mar 30 – Apr 3, 2015

Click here to see the full schedule and register!

USE PROMO CODE: SPBREAK TO RECEIVE $25 OFF ENROLLMENT!

CAN’T MAKE NEXT WEEK? JOIN US FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK!

Spring 2015 STEM Camp

Spring Recess Tech Camp 2 Sessions available from Apr 6 – 10, 2015

Click here to see the full schedule and register!

USE PROMO CODE: SPBREAK TO RECEIVE $25 OFF ENROLLMENT!

Minecraft & League of Legends Tournament

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT GAMING TOURNAMENT DAY! LEAGUE OF LEGENDS & MINECRAFT PVP: APRIL 25TH.

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT GAMING TOURNAMENT DAY!

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS & MINECRAFT PVP: APRIL 25TH.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE & REGISTER!

Summer 2015 STEM Camp Westchester

We are now enrolling for our exciting Summer 2015 STEM Camps! Our summer programs start July 6th and run different programs all the way until the end of August. We have 5 different sessions:

Session 1 will run for 2-weeks from July 6th – July 17th.
Session 2 will run for 2-weeks from July 20th – July 31st
Session 3 will run for 2-weeks from August 3rd – August 14th
Session 4 will run for 2-weeks from August 17th – August 28th
Session 5 will run for 1-week at the end of the summer from August 31st to September 4th
Morning session from 9:30AM – 12:00PM.
Afternoon runs from 1:00PM – 3:30PM.

Students can attend for the full day where they choose a morning activity and a separate afternoon activity, or just come in for a half day!

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUR SUMMER STEM CAMP SCHEDULES!
SIGN UP EARLY & SAVE!

USE PROMO CODE: STEM2015 AT CHECKOUT AND RECEIVE 15% OFF A PROGRAM!

February 26, 2015

After School STEM Programs in Westchester

Written by Cristina Calabrese, Director of Operations & Founding member of The Digital Arts Experience

When The Digital Arts Experience (The DAE) of White Plains opened its doors in July 2012, our main purpose was to provide After School & Summer Tech Camps to kids and teens throughout Westchester County.

As The DAE began to expand upon the courses taught inside our facility, so did the demand for us to bring our programs offsite as well. With this came the idea for our Mobile Classroom, The DAExpress (The Digital Arts Express).

The DAExpress was created to provide the most cutting edge technology in a state of the art learning environment available to the Westchester community.

Inside The Digital Arts Express, or The DAExpress.

Inside The Digital Arts Express, or The DAExpress.

Able to accommodate up to 10 students at once, The DAExpress is designed to act as one of our classrooms on wheels. With this mobile computer lab, we can offer nearly every single class that we teach in our White Plains facility, anywhere in Westchester, Southern Connecticut and Rockland.

The DAExpress is equipped with 10 brand new Mac Book Pros, a Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printer, and the best digital teaching tools. We bring The DAE to you!

Since its inception in September, we’ve run classes and programs with nearly 15+ unique local schools and organizations, including:

  • Children’s Village of Dobbs Ferry
  • Don Bosco Community Center
  • Greenville School
  • Greenwich Academy
  • Greenwich Country Day School
  • Heathcote Elementary
  • JCC on the Hudson
  • Rye Arts Center
  • SAR Academy
  • Seeley Place
  • Solomon Schechter School of Westchester: Upper & Lower School
  • Westchester Hebrew High School
  • Westchester Library System
  • Westfield Day School
  • White Plains YMCA
  • White Plains Youth Bureau

…and more! We also run private, custom classes that we bring right to your door.

Students at Solomon Schechter show off their final projects in Scratch coding!

Students at Solomon Schechter show off their final projects in Scratch coding!

In addition to that, we don’t always use our Mobile Classroom when we travel to schools. Often times we will drive over and use the school’s computer room or media lab and provide classes out of there. In many cases, schools and organizations do not have the necessary equipment to provide such classes on their own. That is one of the reasons that The DAExpress came about.

The DAExpress allows us to bring everything: instructor, class content, and equipment. And the best part is – we come to you! Topics that we teach include:

  • 2D & 3D Animation
  • 3D Minecraft Animation
  • 3D Printing
  • Game Programming with Java
  • Graphic Design
  • Introduction to Computer Science with Python
  • Scratch Coding
  • Stop Motion Animation
  • Visual FX & Video Production
Animation Instructor Nicholas Sceusa teaching 3D Minecraft Animation using a powerful 3D Animation program, Blender.

Animation Instructor Nicholas Sceusa teaching 3D Minecraft Animation using a powerful 3D Animation program, Blender.

We can also provide Professional Development to school staff. In short, there is a lot we could do with our Mobile Classroom. As time goes by, we discover new and unique uses for it. We are excited to keep it “rolling” and see where the future takes us!

Do you know of a school or local organization in need of After School STEM related programming? Contact us at info@TheDAE.com or feel free to visit our website www.TheDAE.com to learn more.

Mobile STEM Class Westchester
November 15, 2014

The DAE’s Mobile STEM Classroom Rolls through Westchester!

The Digital Arts Experience’s first Mobile Classroom, dubbed The DAExpress, has been running workshops, presentations, private classes, birthday parties, after school & weekend programs and more in digital art, tech and STEM-related fields all throughout Westchester since the beginning of September.

Primarily running after school programs, The DAExpress works with a variety of elementary, middle and high schools within Westchester and Rockland County including:

Students take a break from playing Minecraft in our Mobile Classroom

 

 

The DAExpress is equipped with 10 laptops, a large display device for the instructor, and a 3-D printer which can be brought on location to run various programs for kids and teens.  The cost runs $250 per hour, so with a max of 10 kids, it is essentially $25 per kid per lesson, or $200 per kid for an 8-week session.

Check out the video showcasing the Mobile Classroom and its features:

To learn more about The DAExpress, its services, and how to book a program, call (914) 644-8100, e-mail info@TheDAE.com, or visit www.TheDAE.com.